


Against the World

by Vera (Vera_DragonMuse)



Category: Original Work
Genre: M/M, Original Character(s), Original Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-14
Updated: 2013-10-14
Packaged: 2017-12-29 10:36:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1004384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vera_DragonMuse/pseuds/Vera
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The murky shifter underworld of Victorian England is monitored by a shifter only force know as the Watch. One of their own, Solomon Vulpine, has been recalled home to face charges that will end his illustrious career.  A last minute robbery changes the direction of his journey and the rest of his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Against the World

The flight would have been unspeakably dull if it hadn’t been for the robbery. I had intended to spend the entire trip from Paris to London getting slowly drunk and attempting to forget why I was aboard the airship at all. Instead, upon my arrival the captain had immediately press-ganged me into entertaining two of the silliest young women the gods had ever seen fit to put on this earth. They were sisters and their ridiculous giggles were only rivaled by those of their chaperon, a horsey faced older woman, who took long swallows from a flask when she thought no one was looking. 

“It would be a personal favor, Mr. Vulpine.” The Captain had pleaded, shoving me towards the table where the ladies lay in wait. “What with you being Watch and all, you can keep a better eye on them.”

“I’m certain they can fend for themselves.” I had replied, perhaps more sharply than required, already regretting flashing my badge. The Watch boarded airships for free and I had pettily wanted that last bit of privilege. It had been made clear in the tersely worded summons that returned me to England would doubtless end in my very early retirement. 

“Ms. Dorothy and Ms. Fairway!” The Captain boomed before I had a chance to get away. “This is Mr. Vulpine, I thought the three of you might make a pretty party on today’s jaunt.” 

The meal that followed defied description and I survived only by means of intense meditation and copious amounts of wine. While I am not by any means an ugly man, I wear my shifter nature more obviously than some. My aggressively orange hair ends in perfect white tips and my features are suggestively pointed down to the tip of my nose. Thanks to these obvious markers of undesirability, I am generally relieved of the burden of nattering young ladies. Unfortunately for me, Ms. Fairway and Ms. Dorothy either did not notice or were more interested in having a victim than kicking up a fuss about being saddled with a shifter. 

“Oh, Dorothy!” Cooed Ms. Fairway. “We should have Mr. Vulpine take us for a promenade on the top deck.” 

“Please do!” Dorothy turned wet blue eyes onto me, batting her eyelashes in what she must have thought was a flirtatious manner. She looked like she was suffering from some kind of fit. “We’ve travelled this route ever so many times and never been above deck. The Captain says we cannot go without a man!” 

Of course he had. Probably trying to spare his crew the misery of inept seduction. I sighed and nodded my agreement which was all they required. Within minutes, we were on the deck and I spent most of my time trying to avoid being punctured by the sharp tines of two very lacy parasols. Between those and the smoked glasses I was forced to don in the bright sun, I didn’t spare the attention I would usually give to my surroundings. 

Many of our fellow travelers were out to enjoy the afternoon’s pleasant weather, taking slow turns around the deck and generally getting in the aeronautical crews’ way in an effort to see and be seen. None of them noticed the flock of birds that had taken up on the main mast, calling to one another in shrill cackles. 

Nor did any of us take note when they swooped down and landed on the deck, transitioning smoothly from three sleek ravens to three well dressed gentlemen. They could have easily slid into the crowd unnoticed, but that wasn’t their style. Or at least not the style of their leader, who prided himself on stealing with the utmost politeness, civility and showmanship. 

“Ladies and gentleman, may I have your attention please?” In the cultivated voice raised just enough to carry, the leader grabbed everyone’s attention in seconds. “You are about to be robbed by the notorious Corvus brothers. If you would remain quite calm and quiet, then we will be in and out in a trice.” 

I slid my hand into my jacket, wrapping my hand around the butt of my pistol when Ms. Dolores grabbed my arm with a shriek. It was lucky I had left the safety on or I would have shot myself. 

“Robbers!” She yelled, jostling me again. “Oh, whatever shall we do!” 

“Shut up, you fool!” I hissed at her, but it was too late. 

Her carrying on had caught the ringleader’s attention. The two silent thieves were already making the rounds with their empty bags, staring coolly at their victims with unnerving black eyes until they poured in all their valuables. Their spokesman turned on me. His grin could not have been wider had he discovered diamonds in the coal bin. 

Aloysius “Duke” Corvus was not who I would have chosen to confront in my last days of the Watch. Long had we been enemies across the battlefield of crime and punishment, but now our merry chase was at an end. He should be someone else’s problem now. 

“Solomon!” He cried, approaching me as if we were old friends. My nose was already twitching with the all too familiar scent of the pomade slicking back his dark hair and the expensive gin he must use as aftershave. “Whatever are you doing here of all places?” 

“Mr. Corvus.” I replied stiffly as I tried to shake the sisters off my arm. I ignored his presumptuous use of my first name which was to him doubtless only another stolen liberty. “You of all people should know.” 

“Should I?” Though taller than most bird shifters, he still only came up to my chin and had to tilt his head at a curious upward angle to look me in the eye. The muzzle of his pistol toyed with one of my vest buttons. “And why is that?” 

“You were the nail in my proverbial coffin.” I said evenly. “I will spend the rest of my career riding herd for the Veg Police if I’m lucky.” 

“They wouldn’t waste a prime Watchmen like you on the herbies.” Corvus said, almost to  
himself. “All because you couldn’t catch one little thief.” 

“Of course not.” I saw hurt flash over his face and sighed. Damn his pride and damn me for caring about it. “You’re good at what you do, Corvus, but hardly anyone’s largest worry. My failure to catch you is an excellent cover for quietly getting rid of the man that failed to prevent Kincaid’s assassination.”

“That wasn’t your case.” He frowned and I narrowed my eyes. How had he known that? Watch records were kept closely guarded. “Why are the pinning it on you?”

“I’m pack leader. All cases are my cases.” I flashed a bit of fang at him. “Kincaid is dead and someone must take the fall. Given my track record, it comes to me. I’m the last of the old guard anyway. I’m sure they’ll be happy to see the back of me.” 

The girls had at this point stopped carrying on and were listening with indecent closeness. Their hold on my arms finally went slack with distraction and in a flash, I had my own pistol trained steady on his pale forehead. 

“Ah, turning tables again, Solomon.” Duke flashed the boyish smile that had had women emptying their purses for him long before he took in thieving. 

“Why don’t you give these kind people back their things and be on your way.” I suggested. 

“I can do one of those two things.” He leaned forward until my gun was leaning to his temple, kissing the fragile skin. “But first, I must steal one last thing from you.” 

“I’ll shoot you if you try.” I bluffed, trying to ignore the warmth of breath and the long sweep of sooty eyelashes on his cheek. 

“I hate to call an upstanding man yourself a liar.” He placed the hand not gripping his gun on my chest. The rush of blood in my ears sounded like the flap of wings as he tilted his head up to kiss me. It was sudden, quick and dry, but it still left me breathless. “Goodbye, Solomon.” 

“Goodbye, Duke.” I held myself tightly together, letting no sign of how it affected me show. “Off with you before someone takes into their head to take a wild shot.” 

“Thank you, gentlefolk for your kind donations.” He turned to face the crowd, giving me a clear chance at his back. 

I slid my gun back into its holster. 

Sweeping up the corner of his long black jacket, he drew it around himself to cover the quick flash of the change from human skin to raven. The sun caught a glint of silver in his talons that he passed from foot to foot with a triumphant caw. His brothers shifted alongside him, taking to the air in tight V. Powerful wings brought them well out of range of the belated shots from the Captain’s gun. 

“Did you see it all Dorothy?” Ms. Fairfax was already trilling. “I had to shut my eyes I was so afraid. Oh, how brave you were Mr. Vulpine!” 

“I think it would be best, if you were to retire back to the luncheon room.” I said through gritted teeth. “Surely you must be overtaxed.” 

“He kissed you!” Ms. Fairfax giggled. “What a strange man, why would he do such a thing?” 

They were beyond listening to reasonable advice and I tuned them out the best that I could. What had Duke been holding in those sharp talons of his that he hadn’t shifted along with him? It was no longer my problem, I reminded myself. If he wanted to make off with the Queen’s jewels then someone else would be cleaning up the mess. 

Still, I was by all accounts a member of the Watch until my superiors told me otherwise and a crime had taken place in my direct view. They might be able to disbar me, but I wouldn’t offer more fuel to the flame. Let them work for it and leave my reputation at least partially intact. 

I went back through the encounter, echoing the steps the thieves had taken onboard. It had been Duke’s usual operation, arriving via air somewhere unprotected. Aeroships were a popular target for his gang with their easy entrances and exits. He had let his brothers do the rough handling, while he worked the crowd. Normally, he was so charming and distracting that the people he robbed praised him even as they described him to the Watch. 

Except he hadn’t worked the room. He’d come right to me, distracted right at the outset. Normally, he had a razor focus under his smooth patter, lifting wallets and sliding rings from fingers even as he made the crowd laugh. Duke wasn’t that excitable. Could he have known that’d I’d be there? Had his surprise been feigned? It was possible, passenger manifests were no secret. Supposing he had known, why the act? Duke never did anything unless there was something to be stolen. I checked my purse, but it still hung full inside my pockets. I carried nothing else of worth. He hadn’t even tried to reach my trousers though. He’d touched me only once. 

Once low on the chest, the press of his hand warm and-

Dread flooded through me and my hand went unbidden to my chest, resting where he had placed my hand. The locket that had hung around my neck for fifteen years was gone. 

“That bastard.” I growled, heedless of the ladies’ gasps at my language. The fangs I had only flashed before descended rapidly enough to cut the inside of my mouth. The familiar sour taste of blood flooded my tongue. 

“He’s one of those damn animals!” A chubby gentleman screamed and I rolled my eyes which were doubtless yellow now behind my smoked glasses. “Call the Watch!” 

I flashed my badge in the screamer’s general direction. 

“I am the Watch.” I snapped. “And I’m going to need all of you to go below deck until we arrive.” 

They obeyed with gratifying speed. My fury consumed me. I owned so very little that mattered to me. My housing and uniforms were provided by the Watch and my childhood mementos had all gone up in the Great Fire. The entirety of my meaningful possessions was that necklace. 

Loving hands had bought the simple silver locket and placed the tiny picture inside. When I first received it, I kept it strung on piece after piece of tattered string. With my first Watch paycheck, I bought a proper chain. When I shifted, it held firmly around my neck and reminded me of my purpose. I rarely thought about the small thing consciously anymore. It had become a part of me. Now that I knew it was missing, the lack of its small weight became a phantom itch at the back of my neck. 

God’s spit on my reputation. Duke had gone out of his way to make this fight personal and I would take it straight to his front door if that’s what he wanted. 

The renewed quiet of the deck gave me the peace I required to regain my equilibrium. The Captain inched toward me. I took a deep breath and turned my best Polite Officer smile on him. 

“Captain.” 

“Mr. Vulpine, what was all that about?” He asked mildly though I could smell the panic radiating off him in waves. 

“You’re passengers just gained an exciting story to tell their loved ones when they returned home. They’ll be light a few pounds and valuables, but I doubt anyone was wearing their best for a travel day. I wouldn’t worry about it hurting your trade. Most businesses see a significant boost in traffic after a visit from the Corvus brothers.” 

“Is that why you didn’t shoot?” He asked, a hint of accusation seeping in. 

“No.” The smile disappeared from my face, friendly pretense over for the day. “Nor am I receiving the cut of their profits nor is it sympathy for a fellow shifter or whatever ridiculous thing you’re thinking. Duke may seem harmless, but both he and his brothers are crack shots. I might have killed one of them, but the other two would have taken hostages and a straight forward robbery would easily have turned into a bloodbath.” 

“I thought the Corvus brothers were known for never firing a shot.” The blood had drained from the Captain’s face. 

“Legends are overblown, sir. They can and they will shoot to defend themselves just like any common criminal.” Though I had only witnessed it once and the situation had been extraordinary. Duke had the brains to keep a robbery from becoming a murder and retaining his image as a gentleman thief. His brothers had never been as smart. “When will we be landing?” 

“Only another hour, perhaps an hour and a half if the winds aren’t in our favor.” The Captain cleared his throat. “Will you be calling in more members of the Watch to investigate?” 

“No.” I replied dismissively. “I’ll see to it myself.” 

I stayed on deck for the remainder of the flight, making a pretense. I filled out paperwork for a report I would never file. It figured that my last case would go unreported. An ignominious end to my uneven career. 

When we made port, I didn’t wait to disembark. I had made jumps far higher than the two or three meters from shipboard to dock. In theory, the few minutes wouldn’t have made a difference. After a heist, Duke would have headed straight back to his nest to sort through his new shinies and coin. There the Corvus gang would stay until their next job. Still, the urgency built in my blood. I am what I am and once the scent of prey has curled in my nose, the hunt was on and would not bend to human reasoning.

I headed away from the crowd on the docks and began the winding journey to New Hope. Duke made his home in that decaying neighborhood, lording over the broken buildings as an unofficial mayor of his territory. I had known that he had settled in those walls for the entirety of my career, but no Watchmen with a respect for his life would go try to raid New Hope. It wasn’t, as some might think, out of loyalty to the old neighborhood. It was out of a very real fear. We might have been respected or at least tolerated by humans, but other shifters considered us the worse kind of traitors. Flashing a badge in New Hope was an act of the truly suicidal. 

Lucky me, my badge would soon mean nothing. I took the shining disc from its leather holder and ran my fingers over it one last time. For fifteen years, it had defined me. I had taken solace in the official cast of its letters and tried to live up to all it stood for. I rubbed my sleeve over its surface, brushing away a last bit of grime. Then in one strong heave, I tossed it into the sludge of the Thames. 

With that one gesture, I was rendered packless, jobless and homeless. I was on my own. Just another shifter in an old suit and tattered bowler. 

I took the monorail to Princelet Street and then descended into the scrum of Whitechapel. Beautiful Whitechapel, where the streets were lined with sewage and hungry eyed women in ragged dresses catcalled to anything with a pulse. It was early evening and already the bars were full, labored pianos choking out forced merriment as drunkards stumbled in and out of broken doors. 

Several shifters returning home from a day’s work in other parts of the city shuffled through the streets with their heads down and their shoulders bowed. They knew the art of making themselves small, nearly invisible. 

“Come ‘ere, cur!” A drunk called out as a young shifter girl paused to adjust her shawl. “Come ‘ere, pretty puppy and let me give you a ride!” 

I tensed, but she only kept walking and his heckling trailed into violent coughs. It was a ten minute walk from the monorail stop through Whitechapel to the gates of New Hope and each second held the breathless possibility of violence. 

In theory, shifters could live wherever they wanted, but fear closed more doors than law opened. Eighty-five percent of London’s three thousand strong shifter population lived in New Hope. The few of us that got out, all vowed never to return. Yet here I was trudging along with my head down and my shoulders hunched. I could have been a lad again, empty pockets and empty stomach returning home with a handful of coins from backbreaking factory work. 

As I grew nearer, the special morass of stench that was Whitechapel air mingled with the putrid breath of New Hope crept into my nose to stay. No one else paid it any mind, immune from long exposure. I retched quietly, adjusting and forcing myself not to cover my mouth and nose. I’d be given away as an outsider in an instant. 

The great iron gates of New Hope stood open, a looming warning to all that passed through them. Some enterprising shifter had carved the names of the dead from the Great Fire into the stone around the entrance with the raw tip of a claw. It felt fitting that the entrance to New Hope was scarred with death. As always, I paused to put a hand over my Mum and sisters’ brick, halfway up the right side and almost out of sight. Time and foul rain had started to soften the stone to silk, smoothing away their memory.

Past the gates, the crowd I had travelled with splintered and fled to the safety of their neighborhoods. The warren of tenements and alleys swallowed them up one by one until I stood alone. The lay of the land had changed since last I had stood here, but between my nose and good sense it wouldn’t be hard to find a way. The chaos of New Hope’s sprawl was actually quite simple: you lived with your own kind.

As if the external world’s disregard for us wasn’t enough, shifters had formed exquisitely refined racism between ourselves. Like lived with like, sometimes down to a sub-species level if there were enough of you to discriminate. It’s foolish and shameful, but there you have it. I came from a long proud pure line of Red Foxes without a penny or skill to our names. It was only from sheer necessity that I joined the Watch and pure accident that I wound up leading a pack of wolves, hyenas and badgers. Had Mum been alive, she would have said it was my natural superiority shining through. She’d been a real classy lady, my mother.

Today prejudice worked in my favor. Once I had oriented myself, I headed straight for the Aerie, the bird enclave where the skies warred with shuddering territorial cries between the various clans. Each of the buildings in the Aerie had been virtually hollowed out. All windows had been removed and makeshift balconies of varying constructions had been built. Exposed to the sky, these complicated structures provided comfortable nests to those that preferred to stay in animal form the majority of the time. 

My arrival set off a small gaggle of children, who had been playing jacks. They shifted rapidly, flying off in a near panic. I smiled grimly to myself. The fox was in the henhouse. 

“Fee fie foe fang, I smell me the blood of a good looking man.” A pretty woman with a skirt short enough to advertise her profession whistled at me. “You got a shiny copper for a kiss and wink, pretty?” 

“Hello, Marie.” I barred my teeth at her. “Long time no sniff.” 

“Solly olly full of folly!” She squealed, racing to me and throwing her arms around me. “I thought it was you, but it can’t be! You’re all grown up. Where’s the knock kneed little snot I taught to play poker?” 

“Died in the fire.” I hugged her back. She still smelled like too much perfume and the sour tang of drink, but I didn’t care. I’d always been inter-species adventurous and Marie was one of many friends that I’d earned for my daring. “How are you?” 

“Same old, same old.” She sighed. “What’s to change? Hustle a bustle, you know. I make enough to eat and not a farthing more.” 

“Here.” I pressed a copper into her hand. “For the hug and a small bit of information.” 

“Thank you, good sir.” The coin flashed out of existence without a single bit of protest. “What can I tell you?” 

“I’m looking for The Winking Duchy. I hear they make a mean home brewed ale.” 

“Oh, Solly.” She reached up and adjusted my hat with nearly maternal care. “What have you gone and done?” 

“They took something from me. I want it back.” I waited patiently. 

“You shouldn’t.” 

“And yet, here I am.” 

“Always were a wee foolish thing.” She pursed her lips. “There’s other ways to die.” 

“I’m not going to die.” 

“Well, you will. We all will one day.” 

“Marie. Please.” 

“Fine. It’s two blocks down, one to the left. Most fly in, but there’s an old staircase round the back of the red brick building. You can’t miss it. It’ll be filing up for the pint before dinner crowd.” She headed back to her alley. “Have a care for their talons, Solly. Wouldn’t do to let them ruin that pretty face.” 

I tipped my hat at her retreating back, then followed her directions. The building was unmissable, a teetering pile of a building with a dozen more floors than it could probably support. The staircase proved more rusted through than she’d suggested and I only made it to twentieth floor on a lick and a prayer. I had to pause at the top for a quick breather. When my heartbeat finally slowed, I squared my shoulders and pushed through a door with rusted hinges. 

The pub, despite its location, could have been any working class joint in London. It was a good deal cleaner and better kept then most of the places I’d walk passed in Whitechapel. The drinkers were all tired blokes looking to get a little tipsy before facing their families after a long day of hard work or maybe petty crime. They all watched me as I walked by, but none of them said a word. 

I approached the bar and slid into an empty stool. The bartender gave me one quick glance and proceeded to ignore me while trying to tap some kind of emergency signal under the bar. I let him. I wanted to see who answered it. 

“A pint, please.” 

“Just a minute, mister. I’m busy.” He turned his back on me. Unwise, but I let him go for now. 

I felt the bruiser at my back before I heard him. I turned slowly. He wasn’t anyone I’d seen before, but he was definitely a Corvus. A cousin, maybe. 

“We don’t serve your kind here.” He informed me. 

“No?” I stood, looming easily head and shoulders over him. “Good thing I don’t really need a drink then. I want to speak to Duke.” 

“No one talks to the Duke. Let alone a fang like you.” It might have been menacing if I didn’t catch the tremble in his hands. He wasn’t used to dealing with the likes of me. 

“Tell him that Solomon Vulpine is here for what he stole and I think he’ll make an exception.” I sat back down. 

“You can’t just-” 

“I certainly can.” I smiled pointedly at him. “Pass on the word to your boss or I’ll make things very uncomfortable in here. Now get.” 

He got. I was going to have to warn Duke about employing family. He needed a hawk bruiser or two in here if he really wanted to keep the peace. The thought caught me off guard and I reminded myself I was hardly here to give a degenerate thief business advice. The bartender still wouldn’t serve me a drink, but it was probably for the best. I needed to stay sharp. 

“Duke says you better get your arse into his office.” The bruiser barked from a door behind the bar I hadn’t spotted before. 

“Thank you.” I jumped neatly over the bar, landing just next to the bartender. I grinned at his startled expression, watched as it melted into genuine fear. “You should really be more generous with whom you serve. I’ll remember this in your tip.” 

“Solomon!” Duke’s voice drifted out to me. “Get in here and stop terrorizing my help!” 

I snapped my teeth and the bartender took another step backwards. Sliding past him, I went through the open door. There was a thin hallway that let out into a generously sized office. One of those new automatic desks dominated the room, shaking the walls as it rattled and rolled. Along the wall, wires dripped and tangled from a series of screens that split into a variety of images. There must have been security eyes on every corner of the building. Scotland Yard had a rudimentary setup that I’d seen a few time, but nothing like this. 

Duke sat behind the desk, making adjustments to a few of the levers. He glanced up at me as I entered and waved me into a chair. I ignored it, unwilling to give up the advantage of standing. I watched him as he worked. On his own territory he was certainly more relaxed, his usual immaculate jacket draped over the back of his chair and shirt sleeves rolled up neatly to display strong forearms, a gold watch snug around one wrist. The habitual tight vigilance he held during a crime gave way to a bright curiosity as he fussed over his machine. 

I waited for his attention. Greater men than him had tried to make me sweat, but a good hunter could lie still for his prey for hours. I stared, fixed and ready until he favored me with an appraising look. 

“What brings me the pleasure of your company?” He asked when I made no move to speak. “Did our parting stir up some fond nostalgia?”

“You have something of mine.” 

“I can’t return what I took.” He winked. “Kisses only go one way.” 

“Your unwanted handling of my person aside, I’m here for my locket.” 

“Unwanted?” He flicked up an eyebrow dubiously. 

“Have you become a parrot? Yes. Unwanted. Undesired. Against my wishes.” 

“Do you know what the underworld calls you?” 

“The Harbinger.” I had never taken to the ridiculous nickname though I’d taken some pleasure in hearing it whispered among the younger recruits. “What does that have to do with anything?” 

“Your arrest record is unparalleled, you frighten hardened criminals into pissing their pants by showing up at the crime scene practically before it’s committed and you’re a tireless tracker.” He ticked each point off on his fingers as carelessly as if placing an order at restaurant. “The most feared Watchman in Paris and the scourge of London’s underbelly. And yet! You have never caught me.” 

“No one else caught you either.” 

“No one else is you.” The tip of his tongue wetted his bottom lip and it took a good deal of effort not to watch. “You like me, don’t try to deny it. Enough to let me go time and again, against your very nature. A kiss is so minor compared to that.”

“Maybe I did once have the slightest of fondness for you, but right now, I’m inclined to murder you.” I snapped. “I want my locket, Duke. Now.” 

“My dear man-” 

“Don’t.” I held a hand up to stop whatever distraction he’d next provide. “It’s just a cheap trinket, not worth anything to you.” 

“Oh, I don’t know about that.” He put a hand into his waistcoat pocket and drew out my necklace. It dangled from his fingers carelessly and in that moment, I really could have killed him. “It did exactly what I wanted it to do.” 

“You wanted me here?” 

“Why do you sound surprised?” Laughing dryly, he walked around the desk. “I’ve enjoyed our great game of chase as much as you. Did you think I would just let it end so abruptly because of some foolish decisions made by men I’ve never respected?” 

“It ends here.” I reached for the necklace, but by some sleight of hand, he made it disappear before I put my hand around it. 

“It doesn’t have to. Or at least, our association doesn’t.” His smile softened me a little, mockery leeching away into something nearly fond. “I’d like to get to know you without playing criminal and Watchmen. Convenient, since you’re no longer a Watchmen and I’ve decided to retire from my life of crime.” 

“Retire? You?” I laughed. “What else would you do?” 

“I’m a very good thief, Solomon.” 

“Are you expecting me to stroke your ego?” 

“No, just stating fact.” He tucked his hands into the small of his back. “How many years have I been working?” 

“Nine that we can prove. Three more that I suspect.” The numbers tripped off my tongue before I could stop it, but he only nodded in acknowledgement. 

“Nine years as a very good thief and I’m not some idiot thug to go blowing it all on extravagancies or gambling.” He shrugged. “I’m filthy rich, Solomon.”

“Ah.” I had never done the math, but of course he had to be. “Then why are you running this greasy pub? Or is this your retirement plan?” 

“This ‘greasy pub’ is my home, thank you very much. My parents raised me right in these rooms. I reclaimed the building after the fires.” I had insulted him, but before I could decide if I wanted to offer an apology, he went on. “As to my retirement plan…it’s why I wanted to have this little chat with you. I’ll need help and I think you might be interested in giving it.”

“I highly doubt that.” I snorted. “I may not represent the law anymore, but that doesn’t mean I want to break it.” 

“Pay attention, my dear.” He chided. “Not crime. I’m retiring from that. I’m setting my sights on philanthropy. Isn’t that what all retired men with too much money do?”

“Charity. Yes. That makes perfect sense as you’re such a selfless citizen of the world.” 

“Perhaps I am, how would you know?” He raised an eyebrow. “But no. Not selfless. It’s what I’ve been working toward for years, why I became a thief in the first place and why I never planned to be one for life.” 

He paused dramatically, waiting for me to ask. I yawned. 

“You have absolutely no sense of the moment.” He sighed. 

“Get on with it.” 

“Fine. I intend to close down New Hope and integrate the entire shifter population in with London.” 

“You can’t be serious.” I finally sank into the offered chair, trying to piece this announcement in with what I knew of him. Which was very little really when I laid it all out. His file with the Watch was thick, but not with history or personal tastes. Certainly nothing that suggested a revolutionary bent. 

“Why not?” He looked utterly serious, dark brows knitted together. “You grew up here same as me. You clawed your way out, but you know how it clings to you. Reminds you every step of the way that we’re not as good as them. Not the same. They’ve caged us in, I don’t care how wide open they fling the gates.” 

“Everyone is free to leave.” 

“You don’t believe that.” 

“No one can prevent a shifter from living anywhere. If shifters would leave in greater numbers, settle into new neighborhoods-“ 

“That’s the same song they sing at Parliament, but we both know its utter shit.” He said stiffly. “I’m not some young hopeful Watchman, you don’t have to toe the party line with me.” 

“I think-” I began, and then cut myself off. He was right. I didn’t have to whitewash my talk here in this room far above and a thousand leagues away from my old life. “Fine. It sounds good in theory, but not when you think about what might actually happen. No matter how terrible it is here, it protects as much as it holds back. Not an hour ago, I saw a girl nearly pulled down into the muck by a drunk who would’ve had his way with her without consequence. Nine out of ten reports of human on shifter violence don’t even merit a visit from a Watchman, let alone the regular force. You can call New Hope a prison and not be wrong, but it’s fairer to say that it’s an unpleasant fortress, keeping us safe from what lies beyond.” 

“Does it?” He paced away from me to gaze out the room’s single window. I wondered if he slept here, in this room where his parents had raised him. Did he have a nest on the roof? Did he perch on this window at night overlooking the broken sprawl of New Hope? “Do you know what caused the Great Fire?” 

“I know the official story. Someone tossed a cigar butt out of a carriage into a hay bale.” The entire ten block section that housed the fiercest of the predatory species had burned down in twenty minutes. I would have died along with my family if it weren’t for the poker game Marie had gotten us into. The entire mad party had safely evacuated, our family homes reduced to cinder behind us. “It was a dry summer and everything burned too quickly for any fire suppression teams to arrive. The bucket brigade that did arrive on the scene managed to prevent the flames from spreading through the entirety of New Hope.” 

“I know what the official story is, Solomon. That’s not what I asked.” He leaned out, taking a deep breath of the quarter’s putrid air. “Do you know what caused it?” 

“I don’t have any more information than anyone else on the street. But I know the prevailing theory was ethnic cleansing.” Certainly for a random fire it had struck the most dangerous area and somehow been contained there. “Everyone knows these buildings are tinder boxes. It wouldn’t take much for someone with a grudge to take out an entire neighborhood without batting an eye. I always assumed it was one person with a grudge. Certainly if it had been a group, someone would have taken the credit for it.” 

“What if I told you it was something worse than one idiot racist?” Turning away, he faced me. The moon was rising and the cool light spilled around him, lending him an unearthly glow. “What if I told you that the Queen herself had ordered it?” 

I stiffened. Maybe the Queen wasn’t always shifter friendly, but I served on the Watch under her sufferance just like all the shifters who agreed to police their own kind. My name was inked with dozens of others under hers on the London Watch charter. She had even given a short speech the day the Watch was officially signed into a reality. I remembered that she smelled of lavender and regret. There was something sad in her eyes and despite everything, I’d felt a little sad for her in her trussed up gown and roving eyes. Could that have been covering murderous intent? Did she truly hate us so much? I asked him none of these questions. Those I had to settle within myself. Instead to Duke, I only put: 

“I would ask how you could possibly know such a thing.” 

“Did you ever meet Alexander Leon?” 

“Twice. Once the day the Watch Act was signed. Then a few years ago, he visited my pack when we were stationed in Marseilles.” His presence was certainly seductive and he was a hero to many of my packmates. Our founding father. “We stood honor guard at his funeral, of course.” 

“Ah yes, following his heroic death at the hands of the very poor shifter urchin he was trying to help.” Duke laughed bitterly. “Shall I tell you a story?” 

“Will I be getting my locket back if I say no?” 

Duke settled against the empty window frame. There was nothing playful in him now. He watched me with the hard interest of a carrion eater assessing a dying animal. The ruthlessness that I had always known roiled under the surface of his carefree nature had risen to the fore. 

“My standing in the shifter community extends beyond an infusion of wealth. Though I’m sure you’ve already guessed that?” I had had dim suspicions over the years, but I wasn’t about to let on to the depth of my ignorance, so I only nodded. He shrugged and went on. “One of my roles is the disbursement of information. Some people interpret my willing ear as that of a father confessor. And who am I to dissuade them?” 

“Especially if it gives you something to work with.” 

“My aim has never been blackmail, but it’s impossible to avoid if you want to get things done in an unjust world.” He shrugged minutely, one shoulder rising and falling. “There is an unspoken power structure to New Hope and I have spent a lot of time making sure I remain near the top of it.” 

“And here I thought Duke was just a clever moniker.” 

“I didn’t give that title to myself, Harbinger.” He leaned on my nickname hard, nostrils flaring. 

“The aristocracy of New Hope.” I shook my head. “What will they think of next?” 

“They could do worse.” Duke looked down his nose at me. “Do you wish to hear this story or would you be more content continuing to shove me into a pigeon hole?” 

“I’m listening.” I crossed my legs. “The tale of the Great Fire as told by the Duke of New Hope.” 

“Just so.” He said dryly. “Three years ago, I was preparing to turn in for the night when one of my most reliable informants turned up at my door. He was breathing heavily and in a roil of excitement. He insisted that I come with him that the story of all stories had rolled up practically to my front door. A well-dressed man had sought out my informant and given him a great deal of gold to come find me with more to be paid when I turned up. 

“Nothing could induce him to tell me more, so I armed myself and followed him. He led me straight to a private carriage, idling on the side of the road. You say you’ve met him, so you’ll understand that I felt Inspector Leon before I saw him. I almost didn’t get in.” 

“Almost.” I teased, his dark mood troubling me.

“I’m not a man to shy away from danger.” He sighed. “I nearly wish I had that night. We drove through all of New Hope in silence after a gruff introduction. Just when I thought this had all been an elaborate ruse, he started to talk...the guilt he carried...well it wasn’t enough, but it came close.” 

“What do you mean?” I leaned forward, eyes not leaving his face now. The dark pupils I usually found enticing were now impossibly sad. 

“He set the fires. Not alone either.” He said quietly. “The Queen made it a condition for his ‘pet’ project.” 

“You can’t mean the Watch...that makes no sense!” I was barely aware of taking off my hat to run hands through my hair, tugging at the ends like I had as youth. “The Watch was set up to prevent mistreatment of shifters. I know no one here sees it that way, but it’s in our code! Maybe some do it for the few privileges extended to us, but we give up our communities to ensure safety. Why would Leon ever agree to such a thing? Hundreds of people...innocents!” 

“Maybe you and your pack lived by the code, you know most of the Watch don’t. They’re self-hating scum, willing to tuck tails between their legs to lick the humans’ feet.” He spat. “And Leon was the worst of them. How he cried that night in the carriage like I was meant to absolve him! Maybe all these years later, he did feel guilty. Guilty enough to tell me what had happened and provide a few documents to prove it then eat his pistol the next day. But as a young man? He would have done anything for power. After all, the world could do with a few less predators. By his calculations, they were the most likely to commit crimes. A bit of preemptive policing.” 

“I don’t believe it.” 

“I can show you the orders. The suicide, I can’t prove, but I know it to be true.” He sighed. “Look, Solomon, I know it’s hard-” 

“I worked for him. Not directly, but the Watch...my entire adult life. I was helping people.” I wanted to flee, shift and take to the night like a child. Only my grief pinned me in place. “My family.” 

“I know. I’m sorry.” He crossed the room to kneel at my feet. It was not the way I had imagined him taking that particular position. “It wasn’t for nothing. You put a lot of people that deserved it away.” 

“Why did you tell me this?” I choked back an angry sob. “Why not let me disappear?” 

“I told you, I want you to help me.” 

“To close down New Hope? Why?” 

“As long as we live apart, we’ll always be hated.” He sighed. “I had originally thought to expose the whole plot. Large poster copies of the signed documents on every corner of the city! It would cause some beautiful riots.” 

“A war.” I stared down at him, a little in awe at the power he held. All of that and he kneeled before me. “It would start a battle on the streets of London.” 

“Mmm, you’re right of course.” He rested his chin on my knee. “That’s why I’m going to blackmail the Queen into writing a new Act, supporting increased shifter rights and a few extra protections. It will take time and a lot of manipulation. That I can do. What I need from you is your conviction. Your fortitude and your ability to know when I’ve gone too far. I don’t wish to become Leon. You have a true and good heart. I need you to be my compass. My North. 

“We’ll be the first to live among them. Shock all the gentry in Mayfair and take up a house among them. A respectable retired Watchman and the Duke of New Hope. We’ll go everywhere that’ll have us and a few that won’t.” 

Perhaps all the information had me hysterical because I could only laugh, shoulders shaking until I wept from it. I hadn’t cried since the night of the fire and it felt as awful as I recalled. 

“Ah.” He reached up with a handkerchief and wiped my face clean. “Too much?” 

“You’re mad!” I managed to say, snatching the handkerchief from him to blow my nose. “Blackmailing the Queen....and you want me to go along with this? Why would I ever do such a thing?” 

“Because you’re a man of integrity that wants to help his people.” He reached up to cup my face. “And I think that we could do well by each other by and by.” 

“It will never work.” I didn’t turn my head. “We don’t know each other well enough to go into such a mad scheme, let alone take up as lovers.” 

“So you think we’re more likely to work an elaborate blackmail scheme than fall into bed together?” He blinked up at me, confusion all over his face. “Have you forgotten my kiss already?” 

“I haven’t.” Closing my eyes, I took a few deep breaths. “There’s been no one. Not for years. I’ve preferred it that way.”  
“It’s the boy in the locket isn’t it?” He sighed, drawing the necklace back out from nowhere and settling it my palm, folding my fingers around it. “A looker by all means.” 

“He’s dead.” I clutched it tightly before slipping it quickly back over my neck. 

“The fires?” 

“No. That would have been kinder.” The breathing had worked and my voice didn’t catch once as I explained. “Died during a beating.” 

“Who? Why?” Duke’s fingers tightened around mine. 

“A gang of fennecs I’d made friends with. I hadn’t known them before the fires, but it was familiar to spend time around them.” I rubbed my chest, the familiar presence of the locket soothing me. “They didn’t like that one of theirs had taken up with a snake. So they taught us both a permanent lesson about inter-species relations. I joined up with the Watch the next day. Catching and prosecuting them was my first case.” 

“Solomon-” 

“Don’t.” I sighed. “It was a long time ago now.” 

“So you’ll refuse me in his memory then?” 

“I can’t risk that again. What you’re proposing will already put us both in such dangerous positions. To take up with each other...you’ll lose half the support of the shifter community for one thing. Make ourselves walking targets to two groups instead of one.” 

“I’m not a raw boy.” His grip on my hand tightened. “I can fend for myself, if the rabble come knocking.” 

“It won’t be rabble.” I cast about for a way to make him see. “It will be royal assassins on one side and rabid hatred on the other. One or the other will get us eventually.” 

“I wasn’t planning on living to be old.” His rakish grin was back. “Were you?” 

“I-” I started and faltered. Ever since I’d joined the Watch, I hadn’t really made any personal long term plans. The fatality rate was high and I threw myself into the thick of things. “No, actually.” 

“So why not try for a bit of happiness instead?” In a single graceful move, he was off the floor and straddling my lap, lips ghosting over my cheek. “We’ll change the world and do it laughing.” 

“You’re a reckless fool.” He was heavier than I expected, warm and inviting. “Only a madman would partner with you.” 

“And are you mad, Solomon?” His eyes darkened, searching mine with piercing accuracy. 

I could easily pitch him to the floor. I could leave, disapper into New Hope or even return to Paris. My skills could surely be put to use in private security for one bank or another. I’d make a living. Perhaps I’d meet another fox shifter and we could make a proper den with each other. 

“Solly.” I corrected him, sliding one hand around the trim line of his waistcoat. “You should call me Solly.” 

“Solly.” He murmured and this time, I kissed him. 

Outside, the threatening storm crashed into reality, water unleashing in sudden torrents. The open window invited in a spray of mist that did nothing to dampen my growing ardor. I wanted all of him and he seemed inclined to give it, encouraging my kisses and groaning deliciously when I ran my nails over his back. 

“We’ll need a bed.” I finally gasped, parting to find his lips an appetizing flushed red and his black eyes utterly glazed. 

“Bed?” He took a moment to come back to himself, then he was sliding off my lap and tugging me along by my wrist.

“What happened to all that cleverness?” I teased, as he lead me back into the bar which was notably more deserted by now. I gave the bartender a cheery wave as Duke dragged me past. He looked a bit gobsmacked, poor fellow. 

“Shut up, Solly.” Duke winked at me than drew out a key from his pocket to open yet another hidden door, this one leading down a set of stairs. They were monitored by another of his security eyes. Apparently he was taking no chances. Good. One less thing for me to worry over. 

The room below was the most chaotically opulent bird’s nest I’d ever seen. Piles of money, jewels and documents littered the floor, spilled out of cabinets and teetered precariously on top of a mahogany desk. The tiny room had far too much furniture, stacks of chairs and three over-sized bureaus that vomited forth fine suits. A four poster bed dominated the center of the room, rising above the detritus. Soft thick blankets and overstuffed pillows rioted on top of it as if several dozen sleepers had only abandoned it moments before.

“I thought you were a raven, not a rat.” I managed, trying to take in everything at once. “There must be a million pounds worth of gold on that table alone.” 

“Oh, no, maybe a few thousand. I don’t keep the real valuables here.” He pulled me along to the bed. “Sorry for the mess, I haven’t slept here in months really. Mostly on wing or in Paris recently.” 

“You followed me.” I smiled slowly. “When I transferred, you came across the Channel. You’re obsessed.” 

“I was bored.” He contended, but his pale skin flushed pink, betraying him. “No one gives chase like you.”

“I’m not chasing you now.” I kicked off my shoes, careful to place them under a chair where I might find them again. 

“One must get caught eventually.” 

“I’m in your home, locked in your secret lair.” I slid off my jacket, folding it neatly out of long habit, before unbuckling my shoulder holster. “Who has caught whom?” 

“It doesn’t matter.” He followed my hands as they dipped to my shirt buttons. Before I could protest he was on me, taking over the task. “But if I’ve caught you, I want to take my time with my prize.” 

“Have at it then.” 

In a few rapid movements, he’d crowded me to the edge of his messy bed and divested me of my shirt. His quick fingers plucked my thin undershirt out from my pants and were soon smoothing circles over my bare stomach and chest until I had to grasp at the edge of the bed to keep from sliding boneless to the floor. 

“That answers one question.” He laughed, drawing away to let me scramble onto the bed. “Foxes can purr.” 

“We do not purr.” I snapped, but it came out sounding more like a happy growl. Damnit.

“I have evidence to the contrary.” He leaned forward again to stroke down my chest. 

“Do you want to seduce me or put me to sleep?” I sank into the multitude of blankets with a groan. “Keep petting me like that and I’ll be out like a light.” 

“So that’s all it took to disarm the great Harbinger.” He teased. “A few belly rubs.” 

“I’m becoming less inclined to this arrangement with every passing moment.” 

“Don’t sulk, it isn’t becoming on you.” 

And then his clever hands were on my belt and any idea of a smart comeback faltered. It had been so long since someone else had touched me with any care. I closed my eyes to feel every press of skin against mine as he drew away the last of my clothes and left me bare to his gaze. 

“Look at you.” He said quietly, reverently. 

“I know. Bright orange and pale all over.” I opened one eye. “Are you browsing or buying?” 

“Stealing.” He laughed, leaning down to kiss the tip of my already interested erection. “Definitely stealing.” 

“Oh. That’s...” 

“One moment.” 

He stood, rustling out of his clothes until he stood proudly naked surrounded by glittering treasure trove. His body was exactly how I had imagined it on too many lonely nights: short, but powerfully built, he took up more space than he should. Something about how he held himself, even naked exuded charismatic power. The thick muscle of his legs, chest and arms were dusted with fine black hair that led inexorably to his proud arousal. 

I stared at him long and hard than let him see me deliberately lick my chops. He swallowed hard, the tight bob of his Adam’s apple. I lifted a single finger and crooked it forward. 

He was on me in a flash, his bare skin burning into mine and his lips seeking the pulse point of my neck. I tilted my head back to increase his access, running my hands over his bared back. Under the corded strength, I could feel the ripple of muscle where the shift would bring his wings and I ran my fingers over the lines over and over again. 

“What do you do? What do you like?” He asked, a low rumble in my ear that left my mouth dry 

Unable to reply, I lifted my legs around his waist and bit into his shoulder. Judging by his surprised groan, it wasn’t the answer he’d been expecting, but it was the only way I could think to tell him what I needed. I had a sudden flash of fear that he might expect for me to be the aggressor here. That would leave us both disappointed. 

“Truly?” He pulled back to search my face as if it might tell him some secret I repressed. “I had not thought we’d be so compatible.” 

Relief flooded me and I surged up to take his lips with mine again. The kiss went on for slow liquid minutes, hands wandering and learning the tender skin of a new lover. He ticked his fingers over my ribs, cupped the point of my hip and racked nails over the back of my thighs until I sank back against the blankets. Panting, he drew back and turned his attention to the bedside table, tossing through the detritus to find a glass vial of a dark viscous liquid. When he tore the cork from the top with his teeth, the bright smell of pine spilled over my senses. 

“A home brew.” He winked as he slicked his fingers. 

“Is that so?” I reached behind my head, grabbing for one of the multitude of pillows to shove under my hips, hoping I had conveyed how very much I did not care what the damn stuff was as long as he got on with it. 

“It’d be easier on your stomach.” Dark eyes flickered over me and I smiled lazily, canting my hips up in further invitation. 

“You’ve never had a predator partner, have you?” I licked my lips again, aware I’d already won this round. “We get...tetchy about people on our backs. Your pretty nest would be in shreds.” 

“I’d like to see that one day.” He grinned and I had to laugh back. There wasn’t an ounce of fear in him and I found that more and more attractive by the moment. “But for today...” 

All laughter disappeared as Duke moved to cover me again, one finger rubbing at the sensitive skin of my entrance. He caught and held me in those dark eyes, not letting me flinch or turn away as he coaxed my body open. Our breath caught and held between us, thickening the air with anticipation and desire. When at last he entered me, neither of us made a sound, even though it burned through me. I clutched bloody scratches into his arms and kept my silence. 

“It is not meant to be endured.” Concerned, he slowed, leaning down to kiss me again. “If it’s too much-” 

“No!” I protested, too overcome to censor myself. “Don’t stop, please. Only when I start to talk in bed, I can’t stop.” 

“Now that sounds delightful.” He propped himself up on his elbows and thrust again. As it always did, the pain melted into pleasure. “I want to hear it all.” 

“Oh, gods, please don’t stop...” 

After that, nothing could stop my mouth from running away with itself. He rode me thoroughly and with each pounding, I told him how good it felt, how each thrust seared me and all the terrible things I would do if he even thought of stopping. When I put my hand around myself, pulling in rhythm to his strokes, I told him that next time I wanted him down my throat until I had swallowed every lick of him. By the time I came, my throat was hoarse and my body utterly wrung out. He thrust into my newly pliant flesh only a few more times, before collapsing with a groan over me.

“You are going to be the death of me.” His lips had found their way to my ear again and if I’d had any energy left at all, I would have shivered. “Forget assassins, forget riots. You, in this bed, will kill me.” 

“Is that meant to be romantic?” I ran a hand through his hair. It was damp with sweat, silken between my fingers. 

“I promised excitement and partnership. I don’t believe I said anything about romance.” He kissed my shoulder, before slowly withdrawing from me. 

“And here I thought birds mated for life and then were insufferably disgusting about it.” I sat up slowly, wincing with the slight twinge of coming ache. “Do you mean to tell me all the gossip is wrong?” 

“Gossip is always wrong.” He picked up his discarded shirt and dipped it in the basin, before returning to the bed. To my surprise, he turned the wet cloth on me, his touch tender and light as he cleaned me. 

“Should I be prepared for a harem then?” I teased. “Will there be a menagerie in our Mayfair townhouse? I feel less special already.” 

“No.” He made perfunctory work of cleaning himself off before tackling me back on the bed. “Think of the neighbors, we can only scandalize them with so many things at once.” 

“Ah, so we’ll work them up to the harem then.” I nodded sagely. “Wise choice.” 

“I thought that you’d be less obnoxious afterwards. Always thought you just needed a good bedding.” His dark eyes shone with good humor, so I supposed he didn’t mind my smart mouth too much. “No, harem, Solly. You and me. Against the world.” 

“Now that was romantic.” I tugged him into the pile of blankets. “We’re going to need some sleep if we’re going to take on the British Empire.” 

We slept wrapped up together that night, surrounded by his ill gotten gains. It should have been a terrible night’s sleep. I would still have to face the Watch tomorrow and after that, the wrath of a formidable enemy and our own people. Our lives were going to be nasty, brutish and short. 

Yet, with the smell of pine in the air, Duke’s hair brushing over my shoulder and the certainty of adventure to come, I fell into a deep sleep with a smile on my face.


End file.
